Review: I Heart Hawaii by Lindsey Kelk

Join Angela and Jenny in the series finale of the bestselling I Heart books, on the balmy beaches of Hawaii

When you’re running away from real life, there’s only one place to go…

When Angela Clark’s best friend Jenny invites her to join a press trip to Hawaii, three days of sun, sea and sleep sounds like the perfect antidote to her crazed life.

At work in New York, she’s supposed to be the face of Having It All. But the only thing Angela feels she excels at is hiding in the printer cupboard, eating Mini Cheddars and watching Netflix on her phone and if this is living the dream, she's more than ready to wake up.

A few days away with Jenny sounds like exactly what she needs but Angela’s talent for getting into a scrape guarantees nothing goes to plan – and not even the most beautiful beaches, blue skies and daiquiris will get her off the hook…

Review: I was so excited to read this book and let me tell you, it did not let me down! This book was very much bittersweet because I knew it was going to be the last in the series but it was just full of cheerfully nostalgic moments as well as classic Jenny and Angela japes and it was just everything I wanted it to be and more!

Angela is very far removed from the person that we met in I heart New York. She is a married woman now with a daughter and a very different career plan from dating around New York and blogging about it. But we still love her just as much as we did back then. The way she has grown and evolved over the years, because she has been written so well, she is just as easy to identify with and relate to as she was when she was having her first adventures in The Union. I love that we see her dropping her phone in the loo almost as soon as we open the book as well, it wouldn't be an I heart book without a phone falling into a body of water. 

The wonderful thing about this book is that even though I am a die hard fan of the whole series (and re-read the books again before picking up this one) the beginning of the book as well as all the memories we see throughout the book are all written in such a way that if you are new to the books or if you have forgotten what Angela and Alex have been up to, you're all caught up. I don't know how she does it but Lindsey Kelk has written this book with everybody in mind. 

You all know by now that I am a massive fan of Jenny and wish that she was my best friend and she has a great part to play in this, being a little older than Angela and all. Their friendship has just been so wonderful to watch and read about over the years and reading about them makes me miss my bestie and makes me text her just because I love and relate to their friendship so much. 

The joys of mother hood are of course explored in the most comical way in the novel and certainly ring true with the stories that friends have told me about having a baby and then a toddler and what being with them and then subsequently away from them can be like. I love the fact that Angela now has a daughter that Alex has to come and bail out just as much as he has had to bail Angela out over the years. 

We get to catch up with the whole gang in this book and there is just the perfect balance of new experiences and nostalgia to keep the new and the uber i heart fans alike happy and turning the pages. I read this book in one big wonderful gulp and I just loved every single chapter. I really hope you add this to your reading list whether you are meeting Angela for the first time or saying goodbye to her after 10 years I know you're going to love I Heart Hawaii!

To order your copy now, just click the link: UK or US

Review: I heart Forever by Lindsey Kelk

Please remember this is book 7 in a series before reading my review and being spoiled for the other 6! (But if you haven't read the others, go away and read them now because they're amazing!)

Winter in Manhattan…and someone’s keeping a secret.

The day her husband Alex picks up a backpack and goes travelling, Angela Clark promises to stay out of trouble and keep both Louboutins on the ground.

So when her best friend’s boyfriend confides in her, it can’t hurt to help him pick out a ring at Tiffany’s surely?

And when her fashion magazine announces major changes, being terminally late and arguing with your boss isn’t that bad, is it?

Then suddenly there’s another big secret Angela’s got to keep – and the man she loves is still thousands of miles away. As the wedding of the year looms, and Manhattan switches on its Christmas lights, Angela is going to need her friends by her side as her old life looks set to change forever.

Review: Well its safe to say that I loved this read! I did what I really don't do very often with a book and that is to read chunks at a time but not read the whole thing all at once to make it last longer. It's been a while since I took that approach and I am glad that I did. I just love Lindsey Kelk's writing. She is so funny and her way with words just makes me laugh all through anything she writes. She puts into words how I look at the world and she isn't afraid to say what we are all thinking, out loud, very loud! I also love the fact that this series of books is set in America and yet Angela is English and so there is this amazing mix of English terms mixed in with American life ( just like my life!) and that makes me laugh too but also makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside!

So back to Angela, Angela has a secret in this novel and Angela with a secret is never a good thing. As if she didn't have enough on her plate already, she has more and more things loaded on there over the course of this novel and I was really quite worried for her stress levels and her blood pressure at one point. Some of the things she went with induced anxiety in me, never mind her. But she deals with them in an Angela way, the way we all love her for. Alex is a little absent in this book because of his travelling but he is also very true to form and it was great to see her again. I think Angela's parents went down a storm in previous novels and so they have a part to play in the ending of this novel and they just made me laugh so much. In particular look out for a moment with Angela's Dad and some Yorkshire tea, that's all I'm saying!

Jenny Lopez, it was great to see Jenny again and Jenny is just Jenny and wonderful. I just love her friendship with Angela because it is such a turn friendship. A lot of people think that Jenny is holding Angela up, others think it is quite the opposite, but I just love the fact that they support each other and they need each other there in major life events because that is exactly how I am with my best friend. Cici is also a major player in this novel, which i kind of suspected but I love that she got a slightly bigger role this time around, she really comes into her own and we get to learn a lot more about her than in previous novels. I think that I would hate to work with her on a personal level but on a professional level, she gets the job done!

Of course the other major character in these books in New York and reading this novel, you can tell just how in love with New York this author is. The way things are described and the comfort that comes across throughout the book is just amazing. If you don't come away from reading this book wanting to go to NYC and have a great time, then I really don't know if we can be friends! I love the places they go, they places they resist and they are described with such detail and with such wistfulness it just makes for great reading!

There were a few surprises along the way in this novel, thankfully I wasn't spoiled for any of the details beforehand and I won't spoil you either. Some events were predictable, but in a really great way but there are a few things that made me go 'WHAT?' just in a really great way. I loved every moment of this book and I cannot WAIT for the next one. Read this series now, you won't regret it!

To order your copy now, just click the link: UK or US

Review: I Heart London by Lindsey Kelk

Angela’s back on home turf – and in her biggest romantic scrape yet…

Angela Clark has fallen in love with America – and it’s starting to love her back.

Throw one expired visa into the mix, and things quickly take a turn for the worse.

She might love her life as a Brit in New York, but now she has no choice but to return to London. Not only does she leave behind her gorgeous boyfriend Alex – she must also face unfinished business back on home turf.

There’s the ex-boyfriend – who she moved to New York to get away from.

Then there’s her best friend, with her perfect new baby.

And there’s her mum.

Now, there’s another wedding in the offing – and everyone remembers how well the last one went . . .

Review: Another fabulous book in the I Heart series by Lindsey Kelk. I just cannot get enough of these books! This book sees Angela return to London and I loved that fact that this book is set in both New York and London, both great cities. And we also have Angela staying back with her parents so we get the whole 'I've been away and now I'm back in small town England' type of thing too. This just mixed so well with the story line of these novels. I honestly think that the cities these books are set in contribute so well to the plot and the character development so of course London was going to be fabulous!

Obviously we have an amazing cast of characters in this novel. Angela's mum plays a much bigger part than she usually does and I loved her character in this book. I also loved the way Alex's character changes quite a lot during this novel compared to the previous novel. This is probably because Angela is in denial for a lot of this book, about a lot of things. She reverts back to childhood behaviors when she comes back home, thank goodness Jenny is there to sort her out, although Jenny may have a few issues of her own-I guess Alex to the rescue it is-I loved that!

There are some hilarious moments in this book, as there are in the others in this series, but I think it is made even more funny by the fact that we have some American's in England and some Brits trying to accommodate those Americans. There are also some hilarious moments of people jumping to conclusions they shouldn't. Obviously this is not always a good thing, but what would an I Heart book be without a little drama?

I loved this read and it was a great sequel and a great addition to the series. If you are a Brit who has been living in America too and knows what it is like to go back home, this is definitely the book for you! You don't HAVE to read the other books in the series to read this one, you will get to love the characters either way but I would definitely recommend reading them all-what are you waiting for?

To order your copy now, just click the link: UK or US

Review: I Heart Vegas by Lindsey Kelk

Angela Clark loves her life in New York. Everything is perfect but, after she loses her job, her world starts to crumble around her - her visa is revoked and she's given the disastrous news that she must leave New York. Desperate to stay, the last thing Angela needs is a girls' trip to Vegas just before Christmas.

Review: I absolutely loved re-reading this book. Aside from New York, this is my favourite book in the I Heart Series. I also just love the setting for this book. Not only is Angela in plenty of drama, she is in plenty of drama in Las Vegas. The first time I read this book I hadn't been to Las Vegas, but now I have and I loved visiting it again through Angela and Jenny's eyes. The description of Las Vegas and the description of the kind of things that Angela and Jenny do in Las Vegas is just spot on and so if you haven't been to Vegas but want to then this is definitely the read for you!

Of course I loved seeing these characters again and I loved the fact that Angela, Jenny and Alex were all in the same city at the same time. I was really pleased that Jenny was back in the picture in this one, she really is the most fun to read and I think we should all have bracelets with the WWJD but the J stands for Jenny, the best J Lo! James Jacobs is also back in this book and I loved seeing him again, I really wish he was my GBF! Angela has some seriously silly moments in this book, just like in Hollywood and she really frustrated me when it came to her visa storyline but I LOVED the way she and Alex interacted in this book. It felt just like my friends' relationships and so they were very welcome in my little mind story!

I have already mentioned the visa storyline. This storyline surround Angela and her need to renew a visa which would allow her to stay in the states. I myself am in the middle of visa issues and this made me a little anxious to read but it was a real proper storyline, something that is really happening to real people and so I was a big fan of this storyline. There are also some really really hilarious moments when it comes to Angela and Jenny on The Strip, of course. I don't want to spoil any of those particular mishaps but they were just as funny, if not more the second time around. 

This is a great installment in the series, you definitely need to read these books in order but I really do think that, aside from the first in the series, this is my favourite!

There's still time to read this one before I Heart Forever publishes, just click the link: UK or US

And you can pre-order I Heart Forever right now too, just click the link: UK or US

My I Heart Story (Inspired by the I Heart Series by Lindsey Kelk)

So I Heart Forever will be out very soon! In case you hadn't heard, Lindsey Kelk has been chatting about the I heart books, one a week over on her YouTube channel. There's still plenty of time to catch up with them and read along. She is always looking for questions for her videos so definitely get reading so you can ask your burning questions.

I decided to join in with this I Heart Book Club/Readathon, as you may have noticed from my TBRs and wrap ups. And so I have been re-reading these books!

Reading the books again and watching these videos got me thinking about where I was then and where I am now. Where I was when I read each book and how much things have changed because of that. These books were really quite important to me and so I decided I would share my I Heart Story with you!

This one came out in 2009 and I absolutely loved this book. This book was where I rediscovered just how great books could be. I had just finished my first year of teaching, which had directly followed my PGCE, both times where you're not going to get any sleeping done, never ind reading. I had just moved from Glasgow down to Kent, I was in a really rubbish relationship, didn't have any money or a proper job. And this book allowed me to escape those things. I loved living in New York with Angela and rediscovering that whole 'just one more chapter' thing that I hadn't had for a couple of years. This book was important because it did allow me a little bit of sanity. Someone gave me the book and so I hadn't had to pay for it and reading it didn't cost me anything so this book will always have a special place in my heart!

Now I found out this book was out because I used to go into Sainsburys on a Thursday, when the new books would come out and see what was new and I was so excited to see there had been a sequel to I Heart New York, one of my all time favourite books. This one was published January 2010 when I was back living with my parents in Yorkshire and doing supply teaching. I was working a lot more and was generally happier and I was just thrilled to read the sequel to this book. I had visited Hollywood once and so I could picture roughly where they were in the book. I also loved reading Heat magazine and so I loved the storyline with the celebrity interview! I was single again and so I loved reading about Angela and Alex's relationship dramas.

I Heart Paris came out that same summer and I had secured a long term supply position for that September, things were looking up for me but there was so much drama going on in Angela's life, what was going on? I was also just beginning a new relationship so was totally optimistic about all that kind of thing and so I didn't like that Alex and Angela weren't communicating properly. I believe I read this in the Lake district whilst I was away for the week before what should have been my wedding to the guy I was with when I Heart New York came out-big changes there! Yes we seem to be tracking my relationship history with I Heart books but this is why this series is important to me. 

I think that, aside from I Heart New York, obviously, this book is my favourite of the sequels. I loved the wild things that Angela and Jenny got up to and this was the first time in the series where I hadn't been to the location where the book was set (I have been there now, I got married there, and so re-reading it has been sooooo different!). This book came out in December 2011 and I had just moved down to the south east to teach just outside London. I had a full time job, a flat and I was living on my own again. I felt more grown up and Angela felt more grown up too. I was at one of those stages where you're like "I don't need a man, I'm not dating again!' and I think that made me long even more to be on a girly trip with Jenny and Angela and I think I connected all the more with this book. Re-reading it has been so different because of the fact that I went to vegas with family to get married and so I have a whole different perspective now. 

This book came out on June 7th 2012 and I went and met Lindsey and got this book signed! This was before I managed to go to all the author signings. I had been living in the South East just less than a year and this was still when most of the singings were in the London area (I love that they are all over the place now) and so I was very lucky to be able to go and get this one signed at the new Westfield! If we're tracking this in terms of relationships, I was in a very 'I'm going on dates' stage and had had a few good dates and a few disastrous dates from dating apps (this was pre-Tinder) and this book was released JUST before I met my now husband. 

It was exciting because the singing was on June 2nd so I got the book early and of course I started reading the book on the Tube home! This book was great because Angela was back in London and I was in London and I felt like I could be my own Angela because I had just started my very own blog too! This was probably the most empowering book of the series for me! Lindsey also complimented my dress so-mont made!

This one came out in November 2013. I was approved for this one on Netgalley-how exciting. I was loving my book blog, I had a promotion at work. I was still living on my own but I was in a happy relationship, very different circumstances from most of the I Heart series. You can see now why I wanted to track the differences in reading them and also the differences between then and now. Theres not such a big difference with this one. I'm sill in the same relationship only now we're married and living in Denver so a bit of a difference. I loved this book obviously and took my friend with me to get ti signed, it was her first author event and so that is why this book is just as important and all the others in terms of mile stones!

So re-reading the books now, obviously they remind me of where I was when I read them the first time and that's sometimes not the best memories, but they also remind me of why they were so important to me at the time. The first time I went on my own to a book signing, in London! Escaping to vegas as a single girl with Angela and Jenny. Getting celebrity gossip from Angela and discovering New York with her for the first time. I love this series, I'm not a bit re-reader but I am so enjoying re-reading these books because they represent these milestones to me. It's come full circle slightly because I am now unemployed again but happily so! Plus now I have Angela's perspective of things we miss from the UK, getting parcels containing Dairy Milk, Percy Pigs and M&S pants!

I cannot wait for I Heart Forever and I am so excited that I'm going to be able to go to a singing too!

Thank you Lindsey Kelk for writing this series!

Here's the link to pre-order I Heart Forever in the UK and the US