Dear Cath,

Okay, so I'd been wanting to pick up your story for quite some time now. Not because the genre appealed to me or because I thought your storyline would be fast-paced and action-packed, but simply because so many people were saying just how much they could relate to you. Now, if I loved one thing about the premise of your book, it was definitely the idea that you were a fangirl. It intrigued me. Being a fangirl myself meant I was just naturally curious as to how you were portrayed. I would have ended up picking your book up at one time or another - my curiosity can't be held off for long, after all. The idea that I could maybe relate to you a whole lot excited me greatly.

Now, I'm not known to strike up a connection with a lot of characters. Yes, I can love them, but it's very rare that I click with a protagonist so well because I can see so much of myself in them - or even the person I want to be. Now, I don't mind flawed characters - in fact, I love them. If a character has no flaws then I find it hard to believe they have depth - depth that would interest me, anyway. A character that's a little stubborn? A character that's a little hesitant? It makes for more interesting directions in plot and a chance for the character to develop and become even more fantastic.

But I just couldn't relate to you, Cath. Heck, I came out of this book not even liking you that much.

I can't put my finger on any one thing, but just the way you treated some people at times throughout the book and the way you reacted to situations, I just didn't get it. I wanted to, oh, how I wanted to, because, without an MC I even liked, there wasn't much else in the story that really caught me. I couldn't even relate to the side of you that was held back by anxiety. And having suffered anxiety myself for over half a decade now, you'd think I could.

Levi, unfortunately, didn't even rescue the book for me. He didn't appeal to me all that much either. It wasn't that your story was a bad one, it just wasn't for me. The book was overall okay, but that wasn't what disappointed me.

What disappointed me was the fact I just couldn't relate to you.

Yours sincerely (from a rather crest-fallen reader),
Rachel

Cath and Wren are identical twins and until recently they did absolutely everything together. Now they're off to university and Wren's decided she doesn't want to be one half of a pair anymore - she wants to dance, meet boys, go to parties and let loose. It's not so easy for Cath. She would rather bury herself in the fanfiction she writes where there's romance far more intense than anything she's experienced in real life.

Now Cath has to decide whether she's ready to open her heart to new people and new experiences, and she's realising that there's more to learn about love than she ever thought possible...

My goodreads rating:
2 stars

Happy Reading,
Rachel xoxo

In no way was I attempting to trash this book or anybody who likes it, it simply just wasn't my cup of tea and Cath ended up being a protagonist I just didn't click with. I thought it was worth expressing my thoughts as I've only heard extremely positive things and am wondering if anyone else out there is like me and didn't fall in love with it. :)

Aghhhhhhhhh!

So there's just over 2 weeks left of summer until I'm into my final year of secondary school [*hyperventilates*] [*dies*] and, as scary a prospect as that is, there's something that's stressing me out even more right now.

This year I took Advanced Higher English. I'm not sure what the equivalent of it is in England or America or any other country, for that matter, but it's the highest course in English you can take in secondary school. Before summer started, my teacher said you ought to read a lot of high quality literature throughout the year if you're looking for a safe pass because it'll give you a greater understanding and higher quality level of English. In other words, read a lot of classics!

Now, when I hear the word classics, my heart does a little skip and my head does a little groan. Of course I've read classics before (in past English classes) but knowing now that it's up to me to read them in my own spare time is frightening and foreboding. Why? Well I'm pretty sure some of you already know the answer.

I'm just not into classics.

Like, at all.

I've tried. I really have. But, I just can't get in to any of them. The language. The pacing. The storylines that don't interest me... I just find reading them extremely tedious. E-X-T-R-E-M-E-L-Y. I'd love to be able to sit down and appreciate the old language and flip through the pages with a feeling of awe, but that's just not me. Maybe it will be one day but, right now... *shakes head glumly* Where it usually takes me a day or so to finish a book, it took me a month to finish Wuthering Heights. Yes, a month.

I know I should just soldier on and plough through as many as I can but, when I even think about a classic, it's like my brain just starts shutting down. I really want a good grade at the end of this course... but I don't want to spend the whole year stressed or be falling into a reading slump every time I even look at a classic. I'm just stressing out so much about it right now. And it's so ANNOYING!

Anyone got any ideas as to what could help me out? Or how you handle/d the stress of a course like this and doing something you find hard to do? *facepalm*

Happy Reading,
Rachel xoxo