#AYearAThon #Romance Girl Online: On Tour ~ Zoe Sugg (a.k.a Zoella)

Penny joins her rock-star boyfriend on the road in Europe.

When Noah invites Penny on his first-ever European tour, she can’t wait to spend the summer with her rock-god-tastic boyfriend.

But, between Noah’s jam-packed schedule, less-than-welcoming band mates, and threatening messages from jealous fans, Penny wonders whether she’s really cut out for life on tour. She can’t help but miss her family, her best friend Elliot, and her blog, “Girl Online.”

Can Penny learn to balance life and love on the road, or will she lose everything in pursuit of the perfect summer?

Book Review:

It only took me a couple of days to finish this book. Just like the first one, it was a super quick read. I just really wanted to know how things were going to end. Was Penny going to be able to figure out how to date a rockstar boyfriend? Was she going to be able to manage her anxiety on tour? Would she ever start blogging again, publically? Etc. 

I love Noah and Penny's relationship. No matter how big he gets, he really does care for her and she is on his mind. I just really hate the people that come between them. I really do love how Penny finds a frind in Leah Brown while they are on tour because she needs a good female friend. I do wish that Elliot had gotten to go on tour with them though. Oh and I really hate Noah's manager, Dean!!! 

Because this is a second installment I can't say too much without giving anything away so if you have read it, go on to my discussion. If not, read them!!!

Pages: 352                                                                                                                               Rate: 5/5                                                   

Book Discussion: SPOILERS:

Probably the most exciting part for me was the end, when Penny starts blogging publically again. I feel like that was missing so much in this installment. I really missed it. I also really loved how Noah came back to help Alex win Elliot back being as a good part of their break up was because of him. 

So lets discuss Noah and Penny. They were so cute in the beginning but you could also tell that a rocky patch was coming. Noah was becoming this huge success and touring was obviously taking a lot out of him, meaning less time was being spent with Penny. I mean, I really liked that Penny got to explore the cities herself, because with her anxiety, I wasn't sure how comfortable she was going to be doing that and I didn't want her holed up in her room all of the time waiting for Noah. I was really worried about her with TheRealShift mailing them all of that weird blackmail after her phone was stolen. Now I was suspicious about this story line, and rightly so!! 

Noah and Penny's entire break up, courtesy of their already rocky situation and Blake making it worse, that lying bastar, broke my heart. I still pictured that as that sweet little Girl Online and Brooklyn Boy. I wanted those cute moments back again. When she finally texted him to talk while he was in town for a show, I'm pretty sure that I screamed! Then we find out that Dean is TheRealShift and Noah fires him!! I wanted to high five that boy so hard!!! Those entire few pages weree incredible. 

I also love that the ending wasn't definitive. Basically, Penny states that she loves him and that he loves her and somehow they will figure it out together. 

Favorite Quote:

“Sometimes the hero of the fairy tale isn't a handsome prince. Sometimes it's you.” 

The Amazing Book Is Not On Fire ~ Dan Howell and Phil Lester

In your hands is a book created by two awkward guys who share their lives on the Internet.

We are Dan and Phil, and we invite you on a behind-the-scenes journey into our world!

In here you will discover:

+ Stories from Phil's teenage diary and all the reasons why Dan's a fail

+ Advice on how to make YouTube videos

+ How to draw the perfect cat whiskers

+ Which of our dining room chairs represents you emotionally

+ The story of the time we met One Direction and what really happened in Vegas...

This is THE AMAZING BOOK IS NOT ON FIRE

(Even if you never read this, it's a cool-looking coaster, right?)

Book Review:

I finished this book a few days ago but have been unable to write a review because I couldn't even put my thoughts into coherent sentences due to the amazing voice of the two authors, Dan Howell and Phil Lester. I have watched their YouTube videos for a few years now and I feel like their voices and attitudes transferred in such a spot on way in this book! I really loved that it was a continuous dialogue between the two of them, just like a "Phil is not on fire" video. 

Now, besides the voice of the book, I loved so much more!! For example, the construction of this book is great!!! Yes, I do know how nerdy that just sounded! Do not judge me! But really though, the pages are beautifully structured with amazing backgrounds, photographs, and the color is impeccable. I love it when I can get a book like this and just think, "it's an adult picture book!" Maybe I am so appreciative of this construction because I watched their behind the scenes video from making it, and I saw all of the hard work that they put into it, but in all honesty, it truly is amazing!

I also really enjoyed the fun elements that they put into it, like the chair quiz or the Going Deep With Dan and Phil sections. I have to admit though, my favorite page was the Existential Crisis page of Dan's. Being as it is senior year for me, I am having about 100 existential crisis a day!!!! Seriously, I need help!!

Pages: 224                                                                               Rate: 5/5

Book Discussion:

There will be no discussion for this book because writing a discussion for any type of memoir is so hard for me. 

Favorite Quote:

"The Existential Crisis Hallway. Why do we exist? What is existence? What is the point of anything? Why? Does my life really matter outside of myself? Death is inevitable. We are all alone. The privilege of freedom is overwhelming. Ignorance is bliss. Consciousness is merely a biological process. Time extends before and after my life. Purposes are distractions and vice versa. What's forr lunch? Infinity is incomprehensible. Help."

Thank You Loey Lane

Thank you Loey so much. Every video you have made has inspired me, your hauls, your vlogs, your lookbooks,  your Q&As, all of them. You are so confident and the video you posted today made me cry. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tniQEabFJW8

I have never had an eating disorder but I know what it feels like to be body shamed from a very young age. My earliest memory of it is when I was 6 or 7. I was in a summer program and we were at the beach when one of my "friends" told me that I was fat and shouldn't wear a bathing suit. 

 Until this day what that little girl said continues to creep into my mind, so thank you for reminding me that anyone, no matter their size, can look this amazing in a bathing suit. 

Another memory that happens to punch me in the gut every time I have a crush is being in 7th grade gym class. I was always so insecure in gym, still am, because of my asthma and my boobs, they've always been bigger than everyone else's my age. Every gym class, no matter how hot it was, I would wear a big purple sweatshirt. One day I didn't catch the ball and a classmate of mine called me a "purple hippo" and said that "no boy would ever like me." At 17, a senior in high school, I have never asked a guy out because every time I think that I'm going to that memory jumps into my head. 

Thank you so much Loey and Tyler for showing me that even thicker girls can find the loves of their loves and that they will be loved back. 

Loey, you have no idea what your videos have done for me. I found your channel this summer and my self esteem since then has skyrocketed. Out of a scale from 1-10 I'm probably a 5 and coming from someone who was probably a -100 before, that is amazing. Your videos have shown me that even though I am a bigger girl, I am beautiful and the outside really isn't what matters anyway.

THANK YOU LOEY LANE!!! <3 <3 <3 

Social Issue: Body Positivity

This a slightly different post for me but I feel that it needs to be addressed. I am a curvier girl and throughout my entire life I have had self-esteem issues because of that. I am finally at a point in my life where I am less concerned about how I look because I like how I look but I still have really bad days because of how I look. This summer whilst watching hours of YouTube late at night I found an amazing beauty vlogger known as Loey Lane. She is a curvier girl but is so gorgeous and confident. She uses her platform and following as a way to help curvier girls be confident and know what to wear to flatter your look and also gives amazing makeup tutorials. 

This week she has posted a couple of videos which I will link at the end of this post. One was on dating when your curvier and how to be confident with yourself. Another was a response to a video that has gone viral this week. I have refused to watch it because I do not feel that the person who posted it deserves any amount of attention or credit for it. From what I know of the video through Loey and social media she was blatantly rude about "fat people" and hiding under the guise that it was concern for their health. My personal opinion is that people need to keep thei mouths shut about other peoples' weight. You don't have to find thicker people attractive, you can find them disgusting, but you do not need to voice those views in such a derogatory way. If you are not a medical professional than you have no right to critique someone else's weight. 

Loey has worked so hard to build up the confidence of her subscribers and personally she has helped me greatly. As I enter my senior year of high school,  I am proud to walk into school wearing things that I never would have touched a year ago and hold my head high. I find myself beautiful more than I am disgusted by myself now. That is saying so much for me and a lot of that credit is due to Loey.

Everyone deserves to be body positive and to love how they look. If you don't  love how you look than there are ways to change that or if you want to love how you look than there are also ways to build your confidence. If you are super thin or super thick, everyone should love their bodies because our bodies are miracles. We are so tough on our bodies but they withstand almost anything. For women we can carry growing children and birth babies. Our bodies are amazing and everyone should be body positive. 

Thank you so much Loey Lane for helping me realize that I am beautiful too. 

Loey Lane's channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/LoeyLane/videos

Loey Lane's video on dating: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4_egY1q3bE

Loey Lane's response video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaNDkXpEo3s

#BodyPositivity across all platforms!

Grace's Guide: The Art Of Pretending To Be A Grown-Up ~ Grace Helbig

Growing up in the digital era isn't easy. So Grace Helbig has written a guide that's perfect for anyone faced with the daunting task of becoming an adult.

Infused with her trademark saucy, sweet, and funny voice, Grace's Guide is a tongue-in-cheek handbook for Millennials, encompassing everything a young or new (or regular or old) adult needs to know, from how to live online to landing a job to surviving a breakup to decorating a first apartment, and much more. Charmingly illustrated, Grace's Guide features full-color photos, interactive worksheets, and exclusive stories from Grace's own misadventures, including her disastrous interview for NBC's Page Program, her lifelong struggles with anxiety, the first )and also last) time she entered a beauty pageant, meeting her first boyfriend at a high school Latin convention, and many other hilarious lessons she learned the hard way.

Amusing and unexpectedly educational, this refreshing and colorful guide proves that becoming an adult doesn't necessarily mean you have to grow up.

Book Review:

I have never been a fan of self-help books. I figured that they could all be classified under the cliche of "Oh, don't you worry your sweet little mind honey. Everything get's better." Well this book is definitely not the case and I probably should have expected that because it's by Grace Helbig but, you know.  

I foresee this book being on my nightstand when I go to college next fall. This is going to be my go to book for everything "adult," from my first one night stand to managing my anxiety to going on my first real date. (Yes, I'm seventeen and have never had a boyfriend. And for those of you who want to judge, how many times have you had your heart broken or been hurt or done the heart breaking or hurt someone?) Anyway, this book is going to be my life line to everything adult and fun.

Thank you Grace for showing me that some self-help books aren't the cliche. I love your videos and you make me laugh in them and your book. 

Pages: 238                                                                                        Rate: 5/5