Giovanna Fletcher

I love reading. I've always wanted to have my own book review blog, where I can just piece together my rambling thoughts of a book I thoroughly enjoyed. My book genre preferences are confusing and honestly I like nearly everything. However I imagine that John Green, Nicholas Sparks, Giovanna Fletcher, Graeme Simsion and Stephen King are going to be consuming my mind and blog nearly all the time, (I am open for suggestions to other authors, obviously). I've also just recently been collecting Barnes and Nobles Classic Collectible Editions, I think they're called that. They just look so pretty and enchanting.  (My unrealistic dream is to have my own library filled with these collectible books, and yes there would be rules for handling such precious items.) As you can tell I am a massive fan of buying books rather than downloading them onto a kindle or another e book device. My only exception to this rule is Wattpad and if you haven't heard of that website then I suggest you take a look, especially if you love writing and have no idea how to express it to the world, it's a good start.

For 6 years I have loved reading and the author that I personally think made an impression on every young teenager out there was Stephenie Meyer with the Twilight Saga. Stephenie Meyer introduced me to the addiction that you could have from one book, and for that I am forever grateful to her. At 13 I thought her books were enchanting, magnificent and by the last page of Breaking Dawn I didn't want it to end. I recently went back and re read the entire series again and obviously reading a lot of different authors over 7 years my taste has changed and the style of writing I prefer has differed from when I was 13. Not to say  that she's not good or anything, my taste has just gone away from fantasy (exception of course Harry Potter).

The first book that I want to review is by Giovanna Fletcher. (I am going to be very biased about this book as I already think that the author is amazing). The book title is You're The One That I Want. This was my first book to read in 2015 and it has made high standards for any other book I read this year. I was gripped the whole way through and I didn't put it down once (my coursework was put on hold so that I could finish this book in one day). The three main characters Maddy, Ben and Robert are my three second favourite friendship group (first is obviously Harry, Hermione and Ron). After every chapter I would change my mind to Team Rob or Team Ben when I came to the conclusion that you can't chose a team because each character is incredibly compelling but in their own way. Usually I'm not a fan of how the point of view of the story differs with every chapter, but this was written so extraordinarily well that if it was written with one point of view the book would not be the same. I'm not ashamed to say that I got so frustrated with this heart-breaking tale that I did cry, but at the same time I laughed and loved the friendship that these three characters had. Overall I would recommend this book to everyone, especially if you are a teenage girl with Bdrama (boy drama), it tells you that anything and everything can change just don't be afraid to tell anyone how you feel. (Warning this book does make you a bit mushy and soppy for at least two hours after reading and during). An incredibly written novel with laugh, love and tears, you will not be able to rest until the book is finished.

The next book I plan on reading is a book that I was bought for Christmas and is a New York Times Bestseller. Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle. I am quite excited about this book and cannot wait to start reading and reviewing. If a blurb on a book doesn't sound compelling or questioning I cant read it, even if my favourite author has slaved over his/her writing desk to write it. 'It's Christmas Eve and Gracetown has been buried by snow. but the weather is more than just and inconvenience. When one girl unexpectedly steps off a stranded train, she sets off a series of life-changing events... Soon fourteen pumped-up cheerleaders will descend on the local Waffle House, the Duke's DVD night will be rudely interrupted for a Twister mission, and a lovesick barista will determine the fate of a single teacup pig...As the three stories collide, strangers cross paths and romance blossoms with heart-warming consequences.' It was the 'teacup pig' that had me hooked.

I am also very tempted to do the Roof Beam Reader's Official TBR Pile Challenge. However I'm debating because I have about 60 books on my 'To Read' pile. I have until the end of the year to decide. If you have no idea what I am talking about then here's the link to all the details; http://roofbeamreader.com/2014/11/24/announcing-the-official-2015-tbr-pile-challenge/

(This is my first review so hopefully I'll start to get the hang of it and find out what is comfortable for me to do when writing one, so it might change a bit in the next couple of weeks.)

Lately.

So I am going to do a bit of an update post about what I have been up to recently. I got accepted to University, so I am in the process of doing the stressful bits of accommodation and student finance (both are a bitch). I also have a full time job at Topshop, but it's pretty chilled and it means I don't have to look for a job when I am at uni, just thinking of that 60% off.

I haven't had a vocal lesson since the 17th  March and I am feeling it. Around Easter I am nearly always just a bit off but music lets me chill out and just generally calms me down, it's my yoga. And not having a lesson in quite a while is just stressing me out. A lot. I am also teaching myself to play the piano, fun times ahead. I get really frustrated with myself incredibly easily, so I am going more insane than usual. The good thing about all of this is that I'm writing hoorah! something good.

I AM BACK TO EATING HEALTHY.....after a little bit of time off, I'm back to my healthy eating, yummy. So tying along with this I thought I would do a mini haul blog about my healthy snacks, yummmmm.

 

These are SAVSE (sav-say) juice drinks. They are incredible if you do not have much time during the day to juice your own drinks, these only have the ingredients stated in them, no preservatives or anything t's all natural. AMAING. I live by these. You can get these from Boots, which is where I get mine as they're only £2. The flavours they sell at boots, is SUPER RED, SUPER PURPLE, SUPER GREEN AND SUPER ORANGE, all of these flavours I have tried and love (even though I was a bit hesitant about the green juice, however it is very refreshing).

I also went to my local farm market were everything healthy they sell is natural and organic. Rude Health is my favourite brand for cereal and almond milk, it is just so good for you and the company really cares about what they're selling. I purchased Rude Health Super fruity museli and Rude health honey granola (mix these two with almond milk and berries and it is heaven). I have heard a lot of good things about tea pigs so I wanted to try it out and I purchased the green tea, as I am trying to come off the coffee (it's really difficult). I  then got some extra virgin olive oil as this and coconut oil is the only thing I use and some balsamic vinegar. I then purchased fresh tomatoes, mushrooms, courgette, and rocket. I love a courgette salad with mint, chilli and lime juice it is literally my favourite thing to eat at the moment.

I am slowly trying to go vegan, I don't eat much dairy other than cheese so I am testing alternatives for the moment for that. I also am not eating meat, other than fish and I will slowly be replacing that soon. If you are wondering why I am doing this just look at what you are putting in your body, it really is not good for you, especially dairy. The dairy industry is so disgusting and it is never reported. The fact that there is cow blood and pus in milk, cheese, yogurt, anything that comes from a cow and it is still legal as there's a limit for the cells. It just is not right. Also the way animals are treated in the 21st century is just despicable.

~Lauren xx

Busy.

Hi guys, it seems like forever since I posted in here, I am slightly annoyed about this but I have forgiven me and hope you can too.

Anyways, as you can probably guess, I've been busy. And not the good kind. I have been busy thinking about what I am going to do for the rest of my life and I haven't really 100% decided. But it is going to be something to do with music....Music?!?!? Yes music. I currently have a vocal coach and I love it, it's going great, this is the first time in years I have been excited about something I'm pursuing.

Anyways other than that I was crazy busy with work doing 60 hour weeks and getting paid basically nothing. However a lot of stuff happened with that company and I chose to leave. (Personal opinion don't  visit or go to eds Easy Diner, it's cheap food and it really isn't good for you). Now I know people might think I sound a bit bitter but I am honestly not, I have worked at several different places over the years and would gladly go back to every single one of them as they're still all lovely people and lovely companies to work for. However eds is the only place where I would not go back to, it's just not a nice place and I am ashamed to have worked in the Cambridge branch (I will point out that this is just the Cambridge branch, the other diners around the UK aren't as bad as Cambridge as it's the lowest scoring diner out of the entire company). If you don't believe me please check trip adviser before you visit.

Anyways moving on.....

Due to my hectic schedule and birthdays + St Nick coming down the chimney. I kinda forgot to blog and my eating habits have strayed from the original plan. However after this post I am going to hopefully be posting every other day, and this will co inside with my YouTube channel.

YouTube, I have started a vlog as well as this blog. Mainly so I can eventually upload covers of songs but my confidence isn't quite there yet so I am going to be building up to it, maybe on my 10th video or something.

Who would've thought that I was shy?! Not me.

At the moment all I have on my channel is a quick fast paced (ish) video on Kylie Jenner's make up from the Golden Globes (leaving the link at the end of the blog). I do have another video ready, but I am tempted to do it differently. I can't make my mind up.

I am also looking for a personal trainer as I need one, mainly because if I ever workout when I get tired I just stop and give up, so I need someone that can push me past my limits.

Oh one more thing (couple of things). I went to a gig for my birthday present from my sister. COUNTERFEIT. They're amazing. My favorite band at the moment. The support act DEAD were also amazing and are at Download Festival this year, so guess where I am going.....

Anyways I am excited. I'll try to blog/vlog tomorrow but I have got a family thing and it might be a bit hard to, so I might upload my next video, I don't know.

Kylie Jenner Golden Globe MakeUp
Counterfeit
DEAD!

What I Eat In A Day.

This is what I eat in a day and it includes some of my recipes. FUN!

Breakfast

I usually start the day off with either a smoothie or cereal and a cup of tea. If I have cereal and tea then I will have a smoothie after my work out but if I have the smoothie for breakfast, I am not hungry until lunchtime.

Cereal: I have a mix of Rude Health Super Fruity Muesli and then some granola, I then use Rude Healths Almond milk and let the cereal soak this up for a couple of minutes. I also add fruit on top to sweeten it a bit more. The tea I drink is Dragonfly Rooibos tea ( I think that's how you spell it).

Smoothie: My everyday smoothie is my chocolate banana smoothie. It's amazing, and just tastes so good.



RECIPE

1 banana broken up

1-2 tbsp raw cacao powder

1tbsp cacao nibs

1tsp almond butter

almond milk (fill blender to cover all bananas)

(You can also add Maca powder if you want)

 

Lunch

 

I like my lunches to be quite light and not heavy at all, so this is usually a salad or omelette type lunch.  

I have a five-a-day salad, in which it consists of 5 of your 5 a day. I usually have this with chicken or salmon.

 

Another lunch is an omelette with 3 of my 5 a day in it. In this omelette I only use two egg whites and one full egg.

My last lunch option is rye bread with spinach, poached egg, seasoning and kale crisps.

 

Dinner

 

Dinner for me is pretty easy, it's a fish option with salad, quinoa or whatever I can find in my fridge.

Dessert

 

HEALTHY PANCAKES

 

This is probably my favourite dish in the whole entire world!

It's really easy to make and here's the link with the recipe: http://www.niomismart.com/2014/03/better-for-you-pancakes.html

 

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Todays blog was a bit difference and I hope you liked it!

 

Lauren xx









My Day.

Yesterday wasn't a normal Saturday as I had the weekend off?! Which never happens. Ever.

I went to the O2 arena in London, to see.....*insert drumroll here* One Direction. I know some of you are rolling your eyes and will skip this post but others might have a bit of interest about my day.

Two hours. It takes two hours (roughly) to travel from Royston, all the way to the O2 arena. I travelled and went to the concert with my lovely sister Ashlee. We both have a love for the one and only Mr Harry Styles, I thought she had more of a love for him than I did, but after that concert wow, its changed. (I've always thought it's weird that people can love celebrities without even knowing them personally, as they're just humans with an insanely large amount of money. I obviously have too much time on my hands to think about this.)

We were pretty early to the good ol' concert, I would put typical Cambridge girls style, but no we're usually late for everything! So this was a nice surprise. I did not eat before we ventured off, so we made a quick stop to Nandos (yes I was about to call it 'cheeky Nandos'). Still sticking to my healthy lifestyle, I had corn on the cob, Nandos chicken (medium, yes I do judge guys if they go any lower than a medium) and sweet potato wedges. They have a new Quinoa salad on their menu which I am really excited to try out soon.

After the not so cheeky Nandos, we went to the O2 Priority Lounge, which I always make sure I go in every single time I visit the O2. If you don't know what O2 priority is, it's basically anyone who has a phone under the phone company 'O2' get to go and chill in this swanky lounge. Tonight they already had live music on, Dani Sylvia (@danisylviamusic) she has an incredible voice, and it was an amazing start to the night. (Here is a link for more details as I am really bad at explaining: https://tickets.o2priority.co.uk/perks). You do feel a little bit like VIP when you're in there and it's just a lot of fun.

After our time in the priority lounge, it was time to head on over to our seats. And because we were in the priority lounge you get your own private lift to where you need to go, with your very own 'host' in there. It's just awesome. When your on level one there is also an 'O2 Blueroom Bar' which is basically like the priority lounge, just a bit smaller. At this point we were still so on time and early (still quite a weird situation for us to be in). We couldn't wait for the show to start.

Jamie Lawson was the supporting act and he was the first person signed to Ed Sheeran's new label. He's crazy talented and had a story for every song he played which was so cool to hear. Especially when he mentioned to a huge crowd of screaming girls how when he was in sound check for the next song he was about to play. 'The entire arena was empty, except for Mr Styles who was sat right over there, very weird.' At this point chaos emerged from where he pointed to (quite funny to watch).

8:50pm.....Finally One Direction come on stage and I wish I could replay the entire night again, it was just indescribable. I have a small video of my favourite bit of their new single 'Drag me Down', which I will add to this later.

Ashlee mentioned to me after the concert that it was the last time we'd probably ever see them live and I didn't get emotional but it's crazy to think about.

Enough with the rambling, next week I am doing, 'What I Eat in a Day' and I will include my healthy pancake recipe.

Lauren xx

Change.

I have changed. Lately. I was inspired to change the way I was living, and this included in getting a new job.

For the past 3 weeks I have cut out all junk food from my diet, this includes everything that is not whole grain or whole meal food. I only eat natural and organic food, so that I know every single ingredient that is going into my body. I am not denying my body of any food if I am hungry, I am just eating the right foods which have so much nutrition in it rather than eating the wrong food which has nothing in it.

Anyone that knows me knows that I love fizzy drinks and crappy food. It's just easy and tastes pretty good. But I think as people we attach too much emotion to food, as you should only eat if you are hungry not to feel better. I am guilty of this, when the notebook is on the TV all you want to do is cuddle up on the sofa with your favourite people, eat crappy food and cry. (I'm making myself sound so good right now).

My diet now is full of substitutions of food that I used to 'love'. So instead of those fizzy drinks I'll have a glass of sparkling water with a load of different fruit in it, which hydrates me faster and tastes so much better.

 

I have also substituted milk with almond milk and butter with almond butter. They both have so much more flavour. The only bread I eat is rye bread, at the moment I am trying biona quinoa and rye bread, which tastes so good. The ice cream that I now have is Booja Booja and it tastes so much better than any ice cream I have ever tasted but it only has 4 ingredients in it and is quite good for you as it is vegan and gluten free. I haven't really made any more substitutions, but if any new food comes up that I love I will definitely let you know.

I am also a snacker. I am nearly always picking at some food, but I prefer to continuously snack at small things rather than have a few big meals. So for snacks I now have rice cakes with almond butter on, again the biona brand for rice cakes is really good and healthy for you. Popcorn, I love popcorn, obviously if you make this yourself its healthier, however shapers at boots do a really good snacky bag of popcorn.  Fruit, blueberries are such a good snack before and after dinner, and they go great in this new healthy pancake recipe I have just found. (I will do a blog post about that nearer February). One desert type snack that I do like doing is baking apple slices with nutmeg and some ginger Booja Booja ice cream. It tastes so good and is HEALTHY for you, which I am struggling to understand.

 

I had to find a new job due to this lifestyle change as I used to work at Eds Easy Diner. Which is a great place to work and I love the team I worked with, definitely have made some friends for life whilst I have been there. But it got to the point where I wasn't proud of what I was doing because my lifestyle didn't match that of Eds Easy Diner. So I handed my notice in and now my last shift is on Sunday. However it's not all doom and gloom because I found a new job (wahooo yeahh!*insert round of applause here*).  I am now a waitress at this restaurant/ cocktail bar called NOVI. This is an amazing place to work as the motto is about thoughtful food and drink, everything there is natural and organic. I'm just very proud to work there.

 

Anyways I have rambled on long enough, just thought I would give you an idea to what I will be posting about my health and lifestyle as its all very 'LA' at the moment.

I will definitely do a 'What I eat in a day post/video'.

 

Lauren xx

 

 

 

 

The start.

Hopefully this is the first introduction I will have to ever indulge in. I am a 19 year old student studying sciences in Cambridge. However I am an avid reader and books seem to demand and control every aspect of my life. My name is Lauren Cambridge, yes I know my last name and the place I live in are the same.  Introduction done.

I love reading. I've always wanted to have my own book review blog, where I can just piece together my rambling thoughts of a book I thoroughly enjoyed. My book genre preferences are confusing and honestly I like nearly everything. However I imagine that John Green, Nicholas Sparks, Giovanna Fletcher, Graeme Simsion and Stephen King are going to be consuming my mind and blog nearly all the time, (I am open for suggestions to other authors, obviously). I've also just recently been collecting Barnes and Nobles Classic Collectible Editions, I think they're called that. They just look so pretty and enchanting. Obviously being a student and working at the weekends I don't have an unlimited amount of money to spend on these books, so it's a gradual process of not going out and acting like a normal reckless teenager, so that I can save money and buy these books that fascinate me. (My unrealistic dream is to have my own library filled with these collectible books, and yes there would be rules for handling such precious items.) As you can tell I am a massive fan of buying books rather than downloading them onto a kindle or another e book device. My only exception to this rule is Wattpad and if you haven't heard of that website then I suggest you take a look, especially if you love writing and have no idea how to express it to the world, it's a good start.

For 6 years I have loved reading and the author that I personally think made an impression on every young teenager out there was Stephenie Meyer with the Twilight Saga. Stephenie Meyer introduced me to the addiction that you could have from one book, and for that I am forever grateful to her. At 13 I thought her books were enchanting, magnificent and by the last page of Breaking Dawn I didn't want it to end. I recently went back and re read the entire series again and obviously reading a lot of different authors over 6 years my taste has changed and the style of writing I prefer has differed from when I was 13. Not to say  that she's not good or anything, my taste has just gone away from fantasy (exception of course Harry Potter).

The first book that I want to review is by Giovanna Fletcher. (I am going to be very biased about this book as I already think that the author is amazing). The book title is You're The One That I Want. This was my first book to read in 2015 and it has made high standards for any other book I read this year. I was gripped the whole way through and I didn't put it down once (my coursework was put on hold so that I could finish this book in one day). The three main characters Maddy, Ben and Robert are my three second favourite friendship group (first is obviously Harry, Hermione and Ron). After every chapter I would change my mind to Team Rob or Team Ben when I came to the conclusion that you can't chose a team because each character is incredibly compelling but in their own way. Usually I'm not a fan of how the point of view of the story differs with every chapter, but this was written so extraordinarily well that if it was written with one point of view the book would not be the same. I'm not ashamed to say that I got so frustrated with this heart-breaking tale that I did cry, but at the same time I laughed and loved the friendship that these three characters had. Overall I would recommend this book to everyone, especially if you are a teenage girl with Bdrama (boy drama), it tells you that anything and everything can change just don't be afraid to tell anyone how you feel. (Warning this book does make you a bit mushy and soppy for at least two hours after reading and during). An incredibly written novel with laugh, love and tears, you will not be able to rest until the book is finished.

The next book I plan on reading is a book that I was bought for Christmas and is a New York Times Bestseller. Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle. I am quite excited about this book and cannot wait to start reading and reviewing. If a blurb on a book doesn't sound compelling or questioning I cant read it, even if my favourite author has slaved over his/her writing desk to write it. 'It's Christmas Eve and Gracetown has been buried by snow. but the weather is more than just and inconvenience. When one girl unexpectedly steps off a stranded train, she sets off a series of life-changing events... Soon fourteen pumped-up cheerleaders will descend on the local Waffle House, the Duke's DVD night will be rudely interrupted for a Twister mission, and a lovesick barista will determine the fate of a single teacup pig...As the three stories collide, strangers cross paths and romance blossoms with heart-warming consequences.' It was the 'teacup pig' that had me hooked.

(This is my first review so hopefully I'll start to get the hang of it and find out what is comfortable for me to do when writing one, so it might change a bit in the next couple of weeks.)


Lauren xx