Review: #Bae by Cambria Hebert

Cover Source: GoodReads.com

Title: #Bae
Author: Cambria Hebert
Series: Hashtag Series #7
Version Reviewed: Finished, eBook
Website: www.cambriahebertbooks.com

This book was gifted to me.

GoodReads Synopsis:

Happily-ever-after.
That’s what happens when you get married.
Right?
Turns out sparkly rings, cake and a fantastic wedding do not automatically grant you that, not even when it’s all you truly want.
I’m even starting to doubt the bottomless, unconditional love I share with the man I married will be enough.
I can’t have happily ever after, know why?
Because I can’t give Romeo what he truly wants. I’ve tried. So hard. I won’t be happy unless he is and something is missing. Someone.
Paparazzi are in my face. The flashing cameras and prying eyes are everywhere. My secret is getting harder to hide, and I know the second the scoop is dished the grip I have on the fraying rope of that happily ever after will snap right in my face.
In our face.
I can’t let that happen. No matter what.
Because with or without a happy ending, Romeo comes Before Anyone Else.

Review:
Oh, this book was a long time coming. I'm a huge fan of Cambria's so I've always been well aware of the constant barrage of questions that she has received this past year about whether or not Romeo and Rimmel would have a baby of their own, and whether or not we would get the lovely chance of reading it.

I'm so glad that we did.

I admit that I was a little turned off by the title of this book at first. I've just always really disliked the term "bae" but it was easy to get over, especially considering it worked for the story and it fit. Like most things, Cambria used it in a way that made it special.

I was shocked at how the book was going in the beginning. The characters touch on a pretty sensitive topic that tugs at a lot of heartstrings for a lot of people, me included. But at the same time, it was nice to read a story that was so real and raw. It wasn't a perfect little fairy tale for the couple, at least not in the beginning, and it made them even more relate-able and easy to fall in love with.

It took me forever to read this book, though I'm not exactly sure why. I just kept taking breaks from it but, as soon as I could, I would delve back into it. I'm not sure if it was the subject matter or just life in general (keeping with the theme, I'm pregnant too! Yay!) that kept me from sitting down and finishing it, but I'm glad that I finally got to.

Romeo and Rimmel's story is a beautiful one and, though I'm bummed that this will be the last book in the series, it wrapped up their story nicely and was well suited to the Hashtag family.

Overall, a great book that I absolutely loved.

Rating: 4 Stars.

Review: Buffering by Hannah Hart

Cover Source: GoodReads.com

Title: Buffering: Unshared Tales of a Life Fully Loaded
Author: Hannah Hart
Version Reviewed: Finished, Paperback
Website: www.bufferingbook.com

I received this book as a gift.

GoodReads Synopsis:

The wildly popular YouTube personality and author of the New York Times bestseller My Drunk Kitchen is back! This time, she’s stirring up memories and tales from her past.
By combing through the journals that Hannah has kept for much of her life, this collection of narrative essays deliver a fuller picture of her life, her experiences, and the things she’s figured out about family, faith, love, sexuality, self-worth, friendship and fame.
Revealing what makes Hannah tick, this sometimes cringe-worthy, poignant collection of stories is sure to deliver plenty of Hannah’s wit and wisdom, and hopefully encourage you to try your hand at her patented brand of reckless optimism.
Personal note:
Hello, my darlings! I am incredibly pleased to present BUFFERING: Unshared Tales of a Life Fully Loaded!
As a big fan of memoirs, I wanted to try my hand at writing about the events of my life that deserve a little more consideration than can be accomplished in 140-characters or a 6-minute vlog. Now on the cusp of turning 30, I'm ready to expose some parts of my life that I haven't shared before. Before, it was all about privacy, process and time. And now the time has come! I’m ready to put myself out there, for you.

I'm a little nervous about all these vulnerable words going into the world, these tales about my love life, the wrestling I’ve done with faith, how I feel about sex and my family and myself. I’ve had a lot of trials, a lot of errors, but also a lot of passion. Here’s the thing--I've always found comfort in the stories shared by others, so I hope my stories, now that I feel ready to tell them, will bring you some comfort too.
And when you read this book please remember: Buffering is just the time it takes to process.
Enjoy!
Love,
Hannah

Review:
Hannah, oh Hannah. I am a huge Hannah Hart fan. I've been watching her YouTube videos for a super long time and I never seem to get enough of her. She's funny, smart, compassionate, entertaining, and yeah, I totally have a crush on her. Thankfully, my husbands a fan too, so he doesn't mind. ;)

One of the things I've always been curious about is Hannah's past. She has shared a few little tidbits about her life growing up but has always kept any information about her family or childhood pretty tightly wrapped up. Until now, anyway.  I was insanely excited when I learned that she was writing another book and even more thrilled when I learned that it was a memoir.

I received the book for my birthday and, since I was visiting family, I couldn't sink into it until later that night, when every one else was bedded down for the night. I honestly can't even tell you how long I read, but I know that it was quite a while.I devoured chapter after chapter in no time and completely lost myself in Hannah's world.

It was shocking to learn so many of the ins and outs of her past and the conditions in which she was brought up. It was even more shocking to understand so much of it. Coming from a pretty poor town in Eastern Kentucky, I've seen and known a lot of people that have lived in similar conditions and, at some points in my life growing up, I lived in them as well. My life was no where near as extreme as Hannah's but there were many ways in which I found myself understanding and knowing what she was going through.

There's a lot to take in in Buffering; Sexuality, Religion, Family, Lust, Growth, Mental Illness, and many, many more pieces of Hannah's life and her journey. The writing was absolutely amazing and I really enjoyed the inclusion of color photos and pages from Hannah's personal journals growing up.  It's a beautiful look into a life that has been perfectly described as fully loaded and I enjoyed every second of it.

Rating: 5 Stars, hands down.

Review: The Nightmarys by Dan Poblocki

Cover Source: GoodReads.com

Title: The Nightmarys
Author: Dan Poblocki
Version Reviewed: Finished, Paperback
Website: www.danpoblocki.com

I purchased this book myself.

GoodReads Synopsis:

Timothy July has been having nightmares. About his brother, who is in a coma after being wounded in Iraq; about his best friend, Stuart, who is behaving like a jerk; about the old biology specimens in jars lining the walls of his classroom; and about Abigail, the new girl who seems to be a magnet for trouble. Or perhaps she is the cause.
Suddenly Timothy’s nightmares are coming true. His brother, his face decaying, approaches Timothy on the street. Stuart ends up in the hospital, terrified that monsters are stalking him. And the specimen jars are tormenting not only Timothy but his teacher as well.

What is the secret in Abigail’s past that is the key to these horrors? And can Timothy figure it out before his nightmares become a deadly reality?
A follow-up to the well-received Stone Child, Dan Poblocki’s second novel will have his readers mesmerized until the last page—and sleeping with the lights on.

Review:
I bought this book a while back at a thrift store, though I had seen it a long time ago on different websites here and there. I knew that The Nightmarys would be a great read come October and when it came time to make my horror TBR for the month, I immediately put it front and center on my list.

The cover of this book has always  been super creepy to me and very reminiscent of The Shining. I always wondered who the Nightmarys were and what kind of story they had to tell.

Starting the book, I admit that I was slightly disappointed. For whatever reason, the fact that this was a middle grade book, always seemed to slip past me. Don't get me wrong, I have absolutely no problems with middle grade novels (and this was a good one) they're just not my normal choice in reading (unless it's R.L. Stine related).  That fact was easy to dismiss however because the characters were well thought out and didn't seem as juvenile as their ages would suggest.

This story, though it did seem a big dragged out at times, had a lot of twists and turns and was not always easy to figure out. I really enjoyed the addition of the interludes and how Poblocki stuck in the point of views of some of the older characters. I feel like that was a great addition to the story and made it deeper and creepier, to know that older adults were affected by the events just as heavily as the children.

Overall, this was a great book. I would definitely recommend it to lovers of horror, especially if they're of a younger age.

Rating: 3 Stars