I have been loving the Zoella Book Club with WHSmith. I posted about it back in June here, and now we are at the halfway mark. I decided when I started this book club that I would review all of the books and give you my views on them all, as well as sharing my input to the book club nights on WHSmith's Twitter. The book club nights on Twitter were brilliant, although I was gutted to miss the third one, discussing We Were Liars, as I had to be at work late.
I read the first four books in the order of the book club:
So let's get started with the reviews and Twitter chat! Before continuing please be aware that there are some spoilers ahead.
Here are the questions, and my responses, to the WHSmith book club night about this book on 22 June, using #BCNBright
Many fans have described this book as “life-changing”.
Do you agree with this and why? I completely agree. I think everyone should
read this book to experience just how life-changing it can be.
If you could ask a question of Finch, what would
it be? Why did he choose to open up to Violet over anyone else?
What was your favourite quote or passage from the
book? Finch on page 104: “I learned that there is good in this world, if you
look hard enough for it…”
Jennifer Niven thought a young Nicholas Hoult
would make a great Finch. Who do you think would be a perfect fit? In my
opinion, Tom Holland would make a fantastic Finch.
Would you want to read a sequel or prequel, and if
yes, what would you like to see in it? I’d love to read a prequel, showing how
they got to where they are at the star of this book (e.g. the car accident).
What do you think Fitch wrote on the giant ball of
paint? Something about wandering, or her smile. Too many ideas to share.
How did Finch and Violet change over the course of
the book? Violet became more open and trusting, possibly back to how she was
before the accident. I love her character’s journey. Finch seemed to work the other way, being very open with Violet at the being, before drawing into himself.
What message have you taken away from this book? Embrace the positive and always choose kindness because you never know what others are going through behind closed doors.
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I adored this book! This has very quickly made its way into my top ten books of all time. I absolutely loved it. I mentioned it in my June favourites post very briefly too. It was one of those books that I couldn't put down. I'd be reading it whilst cooking, thinking 'I've got ten minutes to spare while my potatoes finish boiling, let's read a few more pages', and I stayed up until gone midnight to finish it, reading the whole thing in two days. I can't wait to see the film version come to life on the big screen.
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Beautiful Broken Things by Sara Barnard
Here are the questions, and my responses, to the WHSmith book club night about this book on 6 July, using #BCNBeautiful
What were your first thoughts of Caddy as a
character? Could you sympathise with her? I felt sorry for her having her best
friend at a different school and feeling segregated/left out.
Was Caddy the most relatable character in the book? I think so, but maybe people will see her as the most relatable as it was told from her point of view.
How do you think Caddy changed after meeting Suzanne? She’d grown as a person in confidence and mind, and I think she appreciated friendship more at the end.
Do you think Caddy’s significant life event achieved what she wanted? Not at all. I don’t think this ‘significant life event’ is what she thought it would be. I think it taught her life lessons so she achieved something, but not necessarily what she wanted.
Do you think the ending for Caddy and Suzanne was inevitable? I think this ending needed to happen for them both.
Who would you cast in a Beautiful Broken Things film? Cara Delevingne could be a great Suzanne, with Shailene Woodley as Caddy and Chloe Grace Moretz as Rosie.
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I remember not been as interested in this book when Zoe first announced the line-up of all eight books. I thought it might be a bit too young for me and I remember being a little disappointed when she said there wasn't a romantic aspect to this book, it was mostly friendship. However, I was proved wrong and I really enjoyed this book. It goes to prove that you should always try reading things you wouldn't normally go for because you might just really like it.
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Here are the questions, and my responses, to the WHSmith book club night about this book on 20 July, using #BCNLiars (This is the book club night that I couldn't be online for, but I've gone back through the questions and given my opinions and answers anyway, so I don't feel like I missed out)
It is made clear that Cadence can be seen as an
unreliable narrator. How did this affect your reading experience? I think it
made the story more unpredictable and I think this was a difference in
narrating that worked. I liked her take on the story. It would have been completely different and would not have had the same impact if it was written in third person.
What message do you think the novel is trying to
get across about race, class and being an ‘outsider’? I think it points out
that those differences are there, but it highlights that being of a different
race and class doesn’t matter, so embrace it.
Which character do you feel the most sympathy for?
It’s a tie between Gat and Cady, but I feel the most sympathetic towards Cady
at the end of the book overall once you know the full extent.
How would you sum up We Were Liars in one
sentence? An extremely eye-opening read with an unpredictable twist that will
have you hooked.
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This wasn't one of the books that really stood out to me either, but again I made sure to read it so I could complete the whole book club. I'm so glad I did. It had the most amazingly unexpected twist at the end that I don't know how anybody could ever see that coming. I loved the narrative style and the general idea of the storyline. It was so realistic and really drew me in. This was another one I read in a couple of days.
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All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
Here are the questions, and my responses, to the WHSmith book club night about this book on 3 August, using #BCNFangirl
Although Cath and Wren are twins they have very different personalities - who did you relate to more and why? Definitely Cath because of the fan fiction writing and not liking change.
How does Cath and Wren's relationship change throughout the book? How do they help and hurt each other? They grow apart at college, only to realise just how much they need each other. They hurt each other but ultimately come together when the need each other, for themselves and their dad.
Would you agree that Cath and Wren switched places? In a sense, if you look at how Wren went in and made a friend straight away and partied, only to be alone and in need of support at the end, whereas Cath isolated herself at the start but by the end she had friends, a boyfriend and was more confident in herself.
Is Cath ever really attracted to her writing partner, Nick? I think she just enjoys the company of writing with him and how they share that interest, I don't think there was ever really an attraction like that.
Did Nick steal Cath's work, or is he right when he says that she offered him her help? I think he always planned on 'stealing' her work through the false pretences of working together because they were both better at different aspects, so he used this to improve his work. He did it in a way that made it look like he wasn't stealing, very sneaky.
Do you think Cath needs to choose between fandom and "the real world"? I don't think she needs to make a choice between the two, but she needs to balance real life and fan fiction better.
Who would be your dream cast for a Fangirl film? Emma Watson to play Cath and Wren, Tom Holland as Levi, Chris Evans as their dad, Rebel Wilson as Reagan and Miles Teller as Nick.
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I loved every moment of this book. I love the idea of fan fiction as a theme because I enjoy writing a lot - with two modules of my degree being in Creative Writing and Advanced Creative Writing, so I related to Cath a lot. I've also dabbled in fan fiction writing under a pseudonym (a bit like Cath), but I won't be sharing any of that. I just adored the characters, the plot and the moments with Levi, who was definitely my favourite character.
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I'll be back with part two of these reviews for books 5-8 in the last week of September, when the last book club night has taken place.
I'd love to hear your views and know what your favourite book is so far! You can comment below, find me on Instagram or join the chat on Twitter.
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